He’s a UCLA honor-roll student who’s earned Pac-12 all-academic honorable mention, and is an engaging young man with a big personality to match his size (6-3, 270).

On the football field, though, Odighizuwa is the Bruins defensive end No. 94 you see knocking some offensive lineman into the backfield, or engulfing a back.

The 20-year-old junior with the huge biceps but bigger, gap-toothed smile (just like Michael Strahan’s) will be playing Saturday against a home-state team, as the No. 19 Bruins (3-0) face the Oregon State Beavers (1-0) in the teams’ Pac-12 opener at the Rose Bowl.

Born in Ohio (Columbus), Odighizuwa played high school football in Portand, and was the top prospect in Oregon as a senior. UCLA got him in 2010, winning out at the end over the Beavers and Nebraska. USC, Florida and Oregon, among others, also made offers to the hottest defensive-line recruit from Portland since Ndamukong Suh.

“For me, it’s just another game,” said Odighizuwa. “Every game is just as important as the next.”

His name is pronounced “oh-a-MAH-bay oh-dee-ga-ZOO-a,” but he goes by Owa, because it’s simpler for others. He had lived in Ohio, Nigeria (ages 5-9) and Oregon before deciding, at 17, that UCLA was the best fit for him. Odighizuwa was a contributor right away, starting six games in 2010 and making five sacks.

Then, the UCLA coaching carousel spun, and spun again. UCLA’s 2012 defensive coordinator Lou Spanos and defensive line coach Angus McClure are the third set of assistants to fill those spots in Odighizuwa’s three years as a Bruin.

“The coaches we had, they were all great coaches,” Odighizuwa said, “but, obviously, things have clicked this year like we wanted them to before.”

To open this year, UCLA shook off slow starts defensively against Rice and Nebraska to shut down both teams in the second halves.

“We just made adjustments at halftime, and got on each other about fixing mistakes,” Odighizuwa said. “This year, the coaches just know how to adjust differently.”

Against Houston last week, UCLA played a complete game on defense, intercepting five passes, shut the Cougars out for 31/2quarters, and allowed one late score.

“It was great for us,” Bruins sophomore linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “We put it all together for a full game on defense. That’s a nice feeling.”

Odighizuwa (eight tackles in 2012, two for losses) is a big part of the rotation up front in Coach Jim Mora’s 3-4 alignment, which figures to get a different test from the Beavers, more of a power team than the previous UCLA opponents.

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